Football Digest articles from September 2005

Football Digest archives from September 2005

Who's best? Who knows?(Kickoff)
September 1, 2005... IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN. Our NFL season preview issue has arrived in your hands. This is when we line up all the teams and debate which ones have the best shot at winding up in Detroit, site of Super Bowl 40. There is no shortage of...

Go Bears.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I've been a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears, and I really think this is the year they're going to turn the corner. Last season they already had one of league's best young defenses, and that side of the ball did well even though linebacker...

Lost in space.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I can't believe the Oakland Raiders think Randy Moss is going to turn around their team. He was nothing but trouble on the Minnesota Vikings. I guarantee the Vikings will be better off without him. It's true that Moss has a world of talent and...

Eli's turn.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I can't wait to see how Eli Manning does this season for the New York Giants. He struggled as a rookie last year, but the reason I'm excited is that he started to come around toward the end of the season. With his rookie year out of the way,...

A cut above.(Rising Star: Jared Allen)
September 1, 2005... WHO SAYS THE KANSAS CITY Chiefs don't have anyone who can play a lick on defense? Of course, the Chiefs' management knew it had to upgrade that unit to have a competitive team, and it did so in the offseason. But one holdover, defensive...

10 questions for 2005: the first one is a no-brainer: can Tom Brady's Patriots march into the history book?
September 1, 2005... ONE HALLMARK OF THE SALARY-CAP era is that teams go up and down like a kid on a Pogo Stick. Sure, the New England Patriots have won three of the past four Super Bowls, but they're the exception. The Atlanta Falcons are a better example....

Football Digest's predicted order of finish.(NFL 2005)
September 1, 2005... National Football Conference NFC East 1. Philadelphia Eagles 2. Dallas Cowboys 3. New York Giants 4. Washington Redskins NFC South 1. Atlanta Falcons 2. Carolina Panthers 3. New Orleans Saints 4....

Thinking big ... once again: the Eagles, led by Donovan McNabb, have what it takes to get back to the Super Bowl, and maybe win it.(NFC EAST)
September 1, 2005... THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES ARE expecting a lot more out of themselves than the past four Super Bowl losers, who each found a way to miss the playoffs the season after reaching the big game. This belief is born of four straight NFC East rifles,...

Still soaring: led by the most exciting player in football--Michael Vick--the Falcons once again will be looking down on the rest of this division.(NFC SOUTH)
September 1, 2005... ALTHOUGH THOSE WHO DON'T closely follow the NFC South may not know it, the Atlanta Falcons are a lot more than just Michael Vick. Certainly, Vick is the Falcons' primary talent. He rips opponents apart not only with his arm but with legs that...

A sorry state of affairs: in the NFL's weakest division, we anoint Daunte Culpepper and the Vikings the front-runners by default.(NFC NORTH)
September 1, 2005... A QUICK DISCLAIMER: THE SUPER Bowl champion will not come from the NFC North. If a team from this division even makes it past the first round of the playoffs, it will be surprising. The Minnesota Vikings have all sorts of talent, especially...

Let's try this again: as usual, Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks are trying to prove they have more than just potential.(NFC WEST)
September 1, 2005... DON'T EXPECT THE NFL TO hold up the NFC West as its shining example of brilliant play. Last year it was one of the league's weakest divisions, and things won't change much in 2005. The San Francisco 49ers were the bottom-feeders, finishing...

A threepeat? Until further notice, Tom Brady and the Patriots are the favorites to win yet another Super Bowl title.(AFC EAST)
September 1, 2005... OK, WE ALL BELIEVE NOW. WE all know that these New England Patriots are among the most successful teams of the Super Bowl era. And if they win the championship again this season, they will be the first franchise ever to capture three straight...

Unstoppable: look for more of the same type of explosiveness this season from Peyton Manning and the Colts.(AFC SOUTH)
September 1, 2005... WITH TWO-TIME REIGNING NFL MVP Peyton Manning and an array of weapons at his disposal, the Indianapolis Colts continue to possess one of the most explosive offenses in league history. Last season Manning threw 49 touchdown passes to break Dan...

Braced for a breakout: Kyle Boller and the Ravens are looking to move past Pittsburgh and into the division's top spot.(AFC NORTH)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... LAST SEASON THE PITTSBURGH Steelers ran away from two good challengers, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, by sticking to what coach Bill Cowher loves: defense and the running game. It worked so well Pittsburgh won 15 of 16 games and...

Charging up the charts: LaDainian Tomlinson and San Diego will keep moving in the right direction after their surprising season in 2004.(AFC WEST)
September 1, 2005... THIS DIVISION MIGHT BE THE most competitive in the NFL, if only because none of the teams is a real standout. The San Diego Chargers, 124 a year ago, still are the class of the division. There remain questions about San Diego's secondary...

Gazing at the stars: better get used to these names--you'll be seeing a lot of them in 2005.(PHOTO ESSAY)
September 1, 2005... James Farrior * linebacker * Steelers [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DWIGHT FREENEY defensive end * Colts [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RONDE BARBER cornerback * Buccaneers [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WILLIS McGAHEE * running back *...

2005 NFL team-by-team schedules.(Names and Numbers)
September 1, 2005... 2005 NFL team-by-team schedules ARIZONA CARDINALS Date Opponent Time Sept. 11 at New York Giants 4:15 p.m. Sept. 18 ST. LOUIS 4:05 p.m. Sept. 25 at...

2005 NFL schedule: all times Eastern.(Names and Numbers)(Calendar)
September 1, 2005... 2005 NFL Schedule All Times Eastern YOUR FINAL GAME TIME GUESS SCORE WEEK 1 Thursday, Sept. 8 Oakland at New England, 9:00...

NFL directory.(Names and Numbers)(Directory)
September 1, 2005... NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 280 Park Avenue New York. NY 10017 (212) 450-2000 ARIZONA CARDINALS PO Box 888 Phoenix, AZ 85001 (602) 379-0101 Coach: Dennis Green Sun Devil Stadium 72,273 capacity, grass...

Quick quiz.
September 1, 2005... 1. What are the team colors of the Minnesota Vikings? 2. The Cleveland Browns left for Baltimore and became the Ravens following the 1995 season. Which year did the "new" Browns begin play? 3. Who was the first head coach of those new...